Creative ZiiSound D5 Speaker System review

Summary

Our Score

Creative has this notion that wireless is going to be the next big thing in portable audio. More specifically, Bluetooth is the wireless medium in question and it's a primary feature of the ZiiSound D5.

It's not a particularly crazy idea - Bluetooth is about as ubiquitous as a technology gets. You'll find it in devices ranging from the Apple iPhone to the Samsung YP-R1, and many in between. The advantage that gives the ZiiSound D5 is obvious - unlike speaker docks, which are almost unilaterally built with Apple's players in mind, Creative's ZiiSound D5 will work equally well with anything that can connect to it.
The tastefully understated design could almost have spawned from the studio of Dieter Rams. Call us controversial, but to our minds the ZiiSound D5 looks more like the little brother of the B&W Zeppelin than does its actual descendant, the Zeppelin Mini. Certainly, there's a feeling that you are looking at £279.99-worth of audio equipment.

Its black mesh cloth covering hides a noteworthy aspect of the ZiiSound D5's design, namely its monocoque construction. The theory is that by reducing the number of parts used in the speaker's construction, it's less likely to affect the audio produced by the speaker cones mounted in it. Although Bluetooth is the intended connection to be used with the ZiiSound D5, Creative has still included a 3.5mm aux jack at the device's rear. This is accompanied only by the power input and on/off button.
The central strip of plastic is home to the only two controls on the ZiiSound D5. At the front is a connect 'button' (actually a touch-sensitive area, but you get the idea) used to place the device into syncing mode, while the top surface is a touch-sensitive volume control. This is excellent if you want to go from quiet to ungodly loud but not if you want to make any subtle adjustments.